Sliding jaw wrench having an adjustable rack and pivoted rack catch



W. F. SLAYTON SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE Oct. 29, 1968 RACK AND PIVOTED RACK CATCH Filed July 13, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet l JUN? INVENTORZ WAYLAND F. SLAY ON Ill mnmumv ATTYS.

Oct. 29, 1968 w. F. SLAYTON 3,407,689

SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE RACK AND PIVOTED RACK CATCH Filed July 15, 1966 4 Sheets-$heet 2 v INVENTORZ WAYLAND F. SLAYTON BMW ATTYS.

Oct. 29, 1968 w. F. SLAYTON 3,407,689

SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE BACK AND PIVOTED RACK CATCH Filed July 13, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet s k A w nm xxnxxxmwigj m w 96 muuuuuugga:

INVENTORI WAYLAND F. SLAYTON WWJW ATIYS.

Oct. 29, 1968 w. F. SLAYTON 3,407,589

SLIDING JAW WRENCH HAVING AN ADJUSTABLE BACK AND PIVOTED RACK CATCH Filed July 13, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 \uuii 275 INVENTORZ WAYLAND F. SLAYTON United States Patent Filed July 13, 1966, Ser. No. 564,967 8 Claims. (Cl. 81134) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ratchet Wrench comprising a body portion including a fixed jaw member having a nut engaging face and a movable jaw member having a nut engaging face confronting the face of the fixed jaw member. The ratchet wrench further includes a pivotally mounted handle member connected to the body portion and a locking member mounted for adjusting movement in the body portion including a section having a plurality of serrations which are engageable by serrations of the movable jaw member upon rotation of the handle in one direction. The adjustable locking member permits precise spacing of the faces of the jaw in the locking position for various sizes of standard nuts and bolts.

The present invention relates to improvements in ratchet Wrenches and more particularly to pivotal jaw type wrenches.

Some wrenches of this type conventionally comprise a wrench body having a fixed jaw member formed integrally therewith and a movable jaw actuatahle relative to the fixed jaw for adjusting the spacing between the nut engaging surfaces of the jaws, biasing means normally urging the jaws to a closed position and a handle pivotally connected to the wrench body. The movable jaw in some instances is provided with a plurality of serrations which are adapted to engage with complementary serrations formed integrally with the body portion of the Wrench and means for pivoting the movable jaw out of engagement with the serrations on the body portion during ratcheting or initial adjustment of the Wrench to position it over a nut and into engagement to lock the jaws for turning a bolt or nut.

The ratchet wrenches discussed above have several disadvantages and drawbacks. The principal problem with this type of wrench is that after assembly, parts of the Wrench cannot be adjusted to selectively preset the spacing between the nut engaging faces of the jaws. Consequently in a large number of cases, it is not possible to obtain precise spacing of the faces of the jaws in the locking position for various sizes of standard nuts and bolts without the high precision in manufacturing the parts of the wrench or expensive selective matching of parts. Failure to achieve precise spacing may result in slippage and in some cases damage to the corners of nuts and bolts during turning thereof. The problem may be corrected by carefully matching the precision made parts on assembly. Of course, precision made parts cannot be mass produced economically so that the cost of the wrench is increased from this standpoint. Further, assembly time is extended considerably by matching parts and this also adds to the cost of manufacturing wrenches of this type.

With the foregoing in mind, an object of the present invention is to provide a ratchet type wrench which is comprised of comparatively few parts and which is extremely economical to manufacture and assemble.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a ratchet type wrench characterized by novel features of construction and arrangement providing precise spacing of the jaws in the locked position for all sizes of standard nuts or bolts.

ICC

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a ratchet wrench characterized by novel features of construction and arrangement including adjustable locking means for presetting the wrench to insure precise spacing of the nut engaging faces of the fixed and movable jaws in the locking position to accommodate various standard size nuts and bolts.

These and other objects of the present invention and the various structural details and arrangement of a wrench in accordance with the present invention are hereinafter more fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side View of a wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view with parts broken away to show the internal construction thereof and showing the parts in a ratcheting position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the parts of the wrench in an operative closed position;

FIG. 4 is a view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of parts comprising the head of the wrench;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the head portion of a second embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention with parts broken away to show the internal construction thereof;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of a third embodirnent of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view partly in section of a fourth embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention showing parts in a ratcheting position;

b FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the threaded bolt mem- FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the wrench showing the parts in a locked or turning position;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view partly in section of a fifth embodiment of the present invention showing the parts in a ratcheting position;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of parts of the wrench; and

FIG. 13 is 'a side elevational view of the wrench showing the parts in a locked or turning position.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to the embodiment of ratchet wrench shown in FIGS. 1-5, the ratchet wrench, which is generally designated by the numeral 10, includes a main body portion 12 having in the present instance formed integrally therewith, an upper or fixed jaw member 14 having a nut engaging face 16 and a lower slideable jaw member 18 having a nut engaging face 20 confronting the face 16 of the fixed jaw member, and a handle 22 pivotally connected to the body portion as at 24.

Considering now more specifically the structural details and arrangement of the wrench, the body portion 12, as best illustrated in FIG. 5, includes a pair of parallel spaced apart sidewalls 26 of generally half-moon shape having a short connecting web 28 at their lower end opposite the fixed jaw member 14 and a pair of parallel guide edges 30 extending perpendicularly to the nut engaging face 16 of the fixed jaw. The body portion 12 has an elongated bore 32 having an open side facing rearwardly' to expose threads of an adjustable locking member mounted in the bore 32. The locking member, as best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes an upper threaded portion 34 and a depending cylindrical shank 38 of reduced cross section, the terminal end of which engages through a guide hole 40 in the web 28 adjacent the lower end of the body portion. The locking member may be adjusted in the bore 32 and locked in a predetermined position :by means of a set screw 39.

The lower jaw assembly, again as best illustrated in FIG.

5, includes a pair of spaced apart fingers 42 projecting rearwardly from the movable jaw member and which are spaced inwardly from the side edges of the jaw to define opposed guide surface 44 on the rear face of the movable jaw member to slideably engage the guide edges of the body portion to maintain the nut or bolt engaging faces of the jaws in parallel relationship during use of the wrench. The fingers 42 have straight sided inner edge portions 46 which bear on ledges straddling the threaded portion of the locking member during adjusting movement of the lower jaw in the manner described hereafter and the outer side edge of each of the fingers 42 is stepped to define a shoulder 48. The lower jaw assembly further includes a link 50 pivotally mounted between the fingers 42 as at 52 having a serrated slightly curved inner face 54 adapted to engage the screw threads of the bolt during turning of a nut or bolt as illustrated in FIG. 3. The link 50 has formed integrally therewith a bifurcated tab 51 projecting from its lower end defining a seat engageable by one end of a compression spring 58 to normally bias the link 50 to a position wherein the serrated face 54 disengages the threaded portion of the locking member in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The handle 22 has a rounded head portion 60 and a bifurcated nose element 64 projecting from one arcuate side edge portion of the head. The handle is pivotally connected to the sidewalls of the fixed jaw assembly at a point spaced from the geometric center of the rounded portion of the handle to provide a camming action with the link.

Consider now the use of the ratchet wrench of the present invention. Normally the parts of the wrench are in the position indicated in FIG. 1, the compression spring 58 normally biasing the link 50 about its pivot rearwardly toward the handle 22 so that the serrated face 54 is out of contact with the threaded portion of the locking member and the compression spring also urging the lower jaw to a closed position. Now when it is desired to apply the wrench to turn the head of a bolt or nut N, the handle is supported in the hand of the user and the fixed jaw assembly is manually pivoted about the pivot 24 whereby the link 50 is pivoted about the point 52 so that the serrated face 54 disengages the threaded portion of the locking member by the action of the compression spring 58 and the bifurcated nose of the handle engages the shoulders 48 of the fingers 46 to open the jaws. When the jaws are spread apart sufiiciently to fit over a nut, the jaws are released and the spring 58 brings the jaw faces into contact with the nut. The handle 22 is then turned in a clockwise direction with respect to FIG. 3 to turn the nut whereby the rounded head 60 engages the link 50 to press the serrated face 54 against the threaded portion of the locking member to lock the jaws in a fixed position relative to one another and achieve the desired accurate spacing between the faces of the jaws during turning of the nut. When the handle is pivoted about 24 in the opposite direction as shown in FIG. 2, for example for ratcheting purposes, the cam surface defined by the rounded head 60 of the handle moves away from the back edge of the link 50 and the spring 58 now biases the serrated face out of the engagement with the threaded portion of the locking member. Further, the tip of the bifurcated nose of the handle engages the shoulder 48 of the fingers 46 to open the jaws to permit ratcheting over the edges of the nut to a new turning position.

In assembling the ratchet wrench described above, the handle 20 is pivotally secured to the body portion as at 22 by means of a pin and then the lower jaw is assembled to the fixed jaw with the fingers 42 engaged between the side walls. The compression spring 58 is then positioned between the web 28 and the tab 51 of link 50. The adjustable locking member is then positioned in the bore 32 so that its unthreaded shank portion extends through the lower jaw and the compression spring. A suitable gauge is then used to measure the spacing between the nut engaging faces of the jaws when the serrated face 54 of the link 50 meshes with the threads on the locking member. The locking member is then rotated until the faces snugly fit the gauge and then set in this position by means of the set screw 39. In this set position of the locking member the jaws are accurately spaced to precisely fit standard nuts and bolts. It is clear that this assembly operation is easy, does not require precision made parts and insures accurate spacing of the jaws in the locked position for various sizes of standard nuts and bolts. It is noted that the threads on the locking member and face 54 of the link are chosen to provide precise spacing between the jaws in the locked position for a range of nuts and bolts of standard size.

There is shown in FIG. 6 a second embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention generally designated by the numeral 80. The wrench includes a main body 82 consisting of a pair of spaced apart, in the present instance, generally triangular wall sections 84 including upper and lower bridging webs 86 and 88 and a fixed upper jaw member 90 having a bolt head or nut engaging face 92. The wrench further includes a lower movable jaw member 94 having a bolt head or nut engaging face 96 disposed parallel to and confronting the nut engaging face 92 of the upper or fixed jaw 90. The lower movable jaw assembly includes a bifurcated projection 100 of a narrower cross section than the jaw to fit between the wall sections and to define flat runner sections on the jaw engageable with the front side edges of the walls to guide the lower jaw during adjusting movement to maintain the nut engaging faces parallel. The lower jaw also includes a pivotally mounted link 102 between the bifurcated projection 100 having a serrated tooth configuration 104 adapted to engage the threaded segment 106 of an adjustable locking member 108 in the form of a bolt spanning the web-like connecting portions 86 and 88, these web-like connecting segments having openings to accommodate the locking member. In the present instance, the locking member 108 is adjustable relative to the body portion in a direction transverse to the direction of the nut engaging faces of the jaws and to this end there is provided a threaded cap member 111 within which the threaded portion of the locking member meshes, the cap being seated in the web 86 and adapted to be held in a fixed position relative to the web by means of a locking pin 113. The unthreaded shank portion 115 of the adjusting member has a slot in its end face to accommodate a screwdriver or the like for adjusting the position of the adjusting member and there is provided a set screw 117 engageable in the web 88 to lock the adjusting member for a given setting. By this arrangement, when all of the parts of the wrench have been assembled, a gauge corresponding to a standard wrench opening may be positioned between the nut engaging faces of the jaw members and thereafter the adjusting member is set to provide close precise intermeshing of the serrated face of the link 102 and the threaded portion of the adjustable locking member to provide accurate spacing of the jaws in the locked position. When this adjustment is made, the cap or collar 111 and web 86 are drilled and pinned. The link 102 has an arcuate cutout 107 within which engages a.pin carried by the handle 112.

In the present instance, the ratchet wrench is shown in a ratcheting position, the handle being turned in a counterclockwise direction when it is desired to reposition the jaws for further turning movement of the nut. By this turning movement of the handle 112, the pin 110 pivots the link 102 downwardly so that the serrated face 104 disengages the threaded portion of the bolt 108 and permits the wrench jaws to slip over the corners of the nut against the bias of the compression spring 109. When the handle has been turned to a position where the jaws engage parallel faces of the nut, the compression spring 109 closes the jaws so that the nut engaging faces engage the parallel side faces of the nut. Now by turning the handle 112 in the opposite direction, that is, a clockwise direction with respect to FIG. 6 about the pivot 119, the pin 110 forces the head 104 of the link into engagement with the threaded portion of the locking member 108. It is noted that in the present instance, the disengagement of the serrated head 104 and threaded portion of the locking member is a positive result of the pivotal movement of the handle.

There is shown in FIG. 7 another embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention which is in overall configuration generally similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6. The wrench which is generally designated by the numeral 130 comprises a main body portion 132 consisting of a pair of spaced apart, in the present instance, generally triangular plate sections 134 having bridging webs 136 maintaining the plates in spaced apart relation and including a fixed upper jaw member 138 formed integrally therewith.

The wrench further includes a lower movable jaw member 140 having a bolt head or nut engaging face 142 parallel to and confronting the nut engaging face of the fixed jaw 138. The lower movable jaw assembly also includes a projection 144 having an opening through which an adjustable locking member 146 extends to guide movement of the lower jaw relative to the fixed jaw and a pivotally mounted rocker member 150 pivotally mounted as at 152 having a serrated face 154 engageable with the threaded segment 156 of the locking member 146. The lower jaw is normally biased to a closed position by means of a compression spring 158 circumscribing the unthreaded shank portion 160 of the locking member and abutting the lower jaw projection 144. The handle 162 is pivotally connected to the plates as at 164 and has an arcuate cutout 166 in its inner end which engages a pin 168 carried by the rocker 150.

There is shown in FIGS. 8-10 inclusive another embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the pres ent invention generally designated by the numeral 178. The wrench includes a main body portion 172 having a pair of spaced apart side walls 174 and a fixed upper jaw 176 formed integrally therewith having a flat nut engaging face 178. The wrench further includes a lower movable jaw 180 having a nut engaging face 182 and a rearward projection 184 of reduced cross section fit between the side walls 174 of the body portion and to define a pair of guide flats 183 on the rear face of the movable jaw 180 which engage and slide on the straight front side edges 185 of the body portion to maintain the nut engaging faces of the jaws parallel. As best illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, the projection 184 has an opening 186 therein through which the unthreaded shank portion 188 of an adjustable locking member 190 engages thereby guiding up and down sliding movement of the movable jaw 180. In the present instance the opening 186 is tapered to permit a small amount of rocking movement of the movable jaw 180 as explained later in more detail.

The locking member 190 has a serrated portion 192 of larger cross section than the shank having a fiat 194 on one face thereof which abuts the flat on the rear face of the fixed jaw 176. The locking member 198 is adapted to be held in place in the body portion by means of a set screw 196 and a shim 198 may be provided between the seat 199 on which the shoulder at the juncture of the threaded and shank portions of the locking member seats so that the locking member may be fixed in a predetermined preset position in the body portion on assembly. In the present instance the serrated portion 192 is comprised of a plurality of transverse teeth-like members 201 having fiat faces 203 parallel to the face of the fixed jaw.

In the present instance the projecting portion 184 of the movable jaw 180 includes a tab or tongue 207 having a plurality of teeth-like serrations 181 which engage and mesh with the threaded portion of the locking member to lock the jaws in place during turning of the wrench to tighten a nut or bolt head. The lower jaw 180 is normally urged toward the closed position by means of a tension spring 200 secured at one end between the faces of the body portion and extending in an elongated hole 204 in the projection 184 and connected thereto as at 202.

In accordance with this embodiment. of the invention, the projection 184 is formed with a V-shaped cutout 210 within which a cam or tooth-like projection 206 'on the handle is adapted to engage and cooperate with the faces 212 and 214 of the projection to selectively position the jaws of the wrench in a turning position and a ratcheting position. More specifically, with respect to FIG. 10, when the handle is turned in a clockwise direction, the tooth-like projection 206 engages the face 214 of the V-shaped cutout 210 to thereby press the serrations of the tongue into contact with the teeth-like members on the locking member, thereby locking the jaws during turning movement of the wrench in a direction to tighten the not or bolt head. Rotation of the handle 175 in the opposite direction, as best illustrated in FIG. 8, during ratcheting rocks the movable jaw against the bias of the spring thereby to disengage the serrations of the tab from the teeth-like members of the locking member and further causing opening of the jaws relative to one another.

There is shown in FIGS. 11-13 another embodiment of ratchet wrench in accordance with the present invention. The wrench which is generally designated by the numeral 220 is generally similar in overall configuration and operation to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8-10 and includes a body portion 222 comprised of parallel spaced apart side walls 224 having formed integrally therewith a fixed upper jaw member 226, a movable jaw 228 and a handle 230 pivotally connected between the side walls of the body portion as at 232.

The lower jaw 228 has a leaf-like projection or extended portion 232 of narrower width than the jaw 228 to define guide edge portions 234 on the lower jow which slide on the front edges 236 of the body portion. This projection 232 has a stepped configuration in the form of a V-shaped cutout 240 defining angularly disposed faces 242 and 244 adapted to be engaged by a cam or tooth-like projection 246 on the handle to lock the jaws during turning of a nut or bolt and to permit separation of the jaws during ratcheting or initial positioning of the jaws on a bolt upon rotation of the handle.

In the present instance the lower jaw member 228 is normally urged to a closed position by means of what might generally be described as a torsion spring 250 comprising an elongated wire having a loop section 252 which engages in an arcuate slot 254 defined by a hook-like finger 256 depending from the projection 232 and a pair of legs 360 having hooks 262 engageable on pins carried by the walls of the body portion. The leaf-like projection 232 of the lower jaw 228 has a serrated face 270 comprised of a row of teeth 272 having a flat face 274 parallel with the nut engaging faces of the jaw members in the locked position of the wrench (see FIG. 13) which in this position mesh and lock with the teeth 276 of an adjustable locking member 278 mounted in the body portion of the wrench. In the present instance the locking member has a continuous threaded head 280 and a lower extension cut away to define a flat 286 and a shoulder 288 at the juncture of the upper and lower sections. The position of the locking member may be selectively adjusted by means of a set screw 290 which is adapted to be screwed in a threaded opening 292 in the fixed jaw assembly and which is engageable by the shoulder 288 of the locking member. By this arrangement the set screw 290 is simply threaded in place and then the locking member is inserted so that the shoulder abuts the head of the set screw and then the locking member is secured in place by a second set screw 296. Of course, the locking member may be preset by simply adjusting the position of the set screw 290 in the fixed jaw assembly.

Considering now briefly the operation of the wrench in the locked position shown in FIG. 13, when the handle is rotated in a clockwise direction with respect to FIG. 13, the tooth-like projection 246 engages the face 244 of the leaf-like projection and presses the teeth 272 into meshing engagement with the locking member for turning a 7 bolt or nut. When the handle 230 is rotated in the opposite direction (see FIG. 11) the tooth-like projection engages the face 242 to rock the movable jaw out of engagement with the locking member against the bias of the spring 250 to permit ratcheting.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein, it is not in tended to limit the invention and changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the following claims. For example, the serrations on the locking member and cooperating element of the movable jaw may be intermeshing means ditferent from the thread forms illustrated and the configuration of the locking member may be other than generally cylindrical.

I claim:

1. A ratchet wrench comprising a body portion including a fixed jaw member having a first face, a movable jaw member having a second face confronting said first face, a handle pivotally connected to the body portion,

a locking member mounted in the body portion including a section having a plurality of serrations, said movable jaw member having a plurality of serrations engageable with said locking member in the locking position upon rotation of the handle in one direction whereby the faces of the jaw members are spaced apart a predetermined distance, said locking member including adjusting means for adjusting movement of said locking member in the body portion whereby the spacing of the jaw members in the locking position may be selectively varied and means for securing said locking member in a selected position.

2. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 1 including biasing means normally urging said serrations of said movable jaw out of engagement with said locking member upon pivotal movement of the handle in a direction opposite said one direction.

3. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 2 wherein said movable jaw member includes a pivotal link, said link having a tab engageable by said biasing means to normally pivot said link away from said locking member.

4. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable jaw member includes a pivotally mounted link having a plurality of serrations thereon, said link having a slotted opening and said handle mounting a pin engageable in said opening to selectively move said link into and out of engagement with said locking member upon rotation of said handle.

5. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein the movable jaw member includes a pivotally mounted rocker having serrations thereon engageable with said locking member, said rocker mounting a pin and said handle having a slotted opening in its inner end which engages said pin to selectively position the serrations of said rocker into and out of engagement with said locking member upon pivotal movement of the handle.

6. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 1 wherein said movable jaw member includes a V-shaped cutout portion and the handle includes a cam engageable upon rotation in one direction with one face of said V-shaped cutout to rock the serrations into engagement with the locking member and upon rotation of the handle in the opposite direction engageable with the other face of said V-shaped cutout to rock the serrations out of engagement with the locking member.

7. A ratchet wrench as claimed in claim 6 including a torsion spring engageable with said movable jaw to normally bias said movable jaw to a locked position.

8. A ratchet wrench comprising a body portion including a fixed jaw member having a first face, a movable jaw member having a second face confronting said first face, a handle pivotally connected to the body portion, and an adjustable locking member mounted in the body portion including a section having a plurality of serrations, said movable jaw member having a plurality of serrations engageable with said locking member upon rotation of the handle in one direction, said movable jaw member including a pivotally mounted link and said handle including an arcuate head portion defining a cam surface, said head portion being eccentrically pivoted to said body portion whereby upon rotation of said handle in one direction, said cam surface pivots said link into engagement with said locking member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 180,348 7/1876 Joslyn 81-134 X 603,194 4/1896 Lawler 81-135 1,348,143 7/1920 Jones 81-165 1,417,210 5/1922 Shirk 81-134 X 1,434,753 11/1922 Shackford 81-126 1,596,664 8/1926 Kisner 81-165 X 1,799,741 4/1931 Gates 81-134 X 2,089,589 8/1937 Uvaney 81-134 X 2,618,188 ll/1952 Emmett 81-165 X 3,000,245 9/1961 Orr 81-126 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,080,925 6/ 1954 France.

MILTON S. MEHR, Primary Examiner. 

